This invention generally relates to radio transceivers and, more particularly, to a remote control system in which a transceiver unit is controlled by control signals received from the remote control unit, using only a few electrical wires or cables between the remote control unit and the transceiver unit.
In a conventional remote control type transceiver, the remote control unit includes a microphone, a volume control means, a squelch control means, a transmit/receive switch means, a channel selection (up or down) switch, and a channel indicator. Therein, the remote control unit is coupled to the transceiver unit by a multi-conductor cable which conducts the respective signals or control signals.
While the above-described remote control type transceivers have been put to practical use for some applications, they have some disadvantages. One disadvantage is that many conductors are needed to couple the remote control unit to the transceiver unit. Therefore, the multi-conductor cable must be very thick and very heavy. It is inconvenient to operate such a remote control unit. Another disadvantage is that many connectors are needed to electrically connect the remote control unit or the transceiver unit to the multi-conductor cable, resulting in inefficiency in mass production of such systems and also resulting in poor reliability for such systems.